Method and apparatus for treating pipes



sept. 21 ,1926. J. BECKWITH METHOD AND APPARATUS FQR TREATING PIPES File'd Dec. 9. 1925 `Iiaiterited Sept. 21, 1926.

UNITED sT-Ares v 1.690501 PATsNrorFicE.

JAMES BncKWIfrH, or HILLsBoRo, cancion.

" METHODND APPARATUS FOR TREATING PJIPES.

Application filed December This inventionis an improvement on my prior application Serial No. 7 32,729, `iled August 18, 1.924, and relates to a method and apparatus for treatingk pipes and similar arl Vticles, especially those made of pressed or block meerschaum. The ,purpose ofr the treatmentis to give the pipes a dark color and to so harden them that they` will be very durable and will readily take ahigh polish.

Pipes have longpbeen made of block meerschaum but prior to appli cants invention it has been impossible to make pipes of lpressed meerschaum which could be hardened sufficiently to prevent breakage after relatively short use.

can be hardened so'that they will stand long and hard usage.

In the carrying out of this process the* pipes are subjected to the smoke, gases, and volatile products arising from the slow carbonization of wood or similar material and certain of the volatile products are `absorbed in the first portion of the treatment by the pipes. As the temperature rises not only these volatile products will be driveno, but

any volatile constituents of the pipes themselves and ultimately, very ne particles of carbon and the like are apparently deposited in the interstices of the material and the. If the articles are whole pipe is hardened; treated sufliciently long they will be an intense-black. If removed somewhat earlier, various shades may be obtained. They take a very high polish with ease and break with difficulty.

The treatment appears to have the effect l of cementing together the shavings and fragments of which pressed meerschaum is made so that the resulting articles break with dif,- iculty and will stand hard usage as pipes lfor a long time.

This process may be carried out in various forms of apparatus, for example such as the one described in my prior application.

It' has also been found possible to build a trough or channel ofbrick of suitable length, fill the same with wood, place a chimney at one end of the trough and near this the pipes or other articles. The fire is started at the other end of the trough and burns slowly toward the end having the chimney and toward the pipes.

However, I have found that the pipes or other articles maybe treated somewhat more rapidly and more cheaply with equally gleed By the present invention pipes or similararticles of pressed .meerschauml 9,1925. Serial No. 74,347.

4'results by an kapparatus such as? described in this application. More detail objects ofthe yinvention will be apparent from the folbrick lining 2 at a slight distance from the box, this space being filled with earth 3.

each of two opposite sides of the box atthe bottom there are provided two vents 4, As illustrated in Figure 4, earth may be piled around the bottom of the box sufficiently to Y prevent ready access ofair to the interior thereof. y .y

In the beginning there is placedl in the bottom of the box a layer A of charcoal and on top of .this after it has been fired, wood B is placed, which substantiallyV fills the box. A small perforated. box member 5 or similar container in whichare placed the pipes is placed on top of the wood so that the top thereof lies level with the top of the box.

The wood is also placed around this contain- -f er 5 until it is level with the top of the box. A screen 6 is placed over the open top and upon this is piled straw covered by earth C. `Avent 7 extends upward through this earth during the preliminary part of the process. top of the* vent is closed, as shown in Figure 7. Y

The box l may be made of any convenient size but excellent results have been obtained from one' about three feet square and three feet in height. Only` a relatively small After the wood is well burning the A amount of wood is required to fill thisand if the process is properly carried out it takes Vabout eight hours to complete the burning and to give the pipes or other articles in thel container 5 a hard black finish. It has been found that if any of the earth placed upon the top comes in contact with the pipes while they are being heated that it takes the color out of the pipe. It is therefore found advisable to employ' the screen 6 order te prevent this result. As in the previous case the exact color obtained may be varied by a variation in the length of time during which the pipes are exposed to the burning gases. lt has been found, however, especially in the Y case of pressed meerschaum that it is advisable to continue the process until thepipes attain a oark color.

lt is obvious that the process is adapted for the treatment of other articles than pipes, althouga it is particularly adapted thereto.

lt is found that a pressed meerschaum pipeV Y sub3ectcd to such treatment is practically 1ndistinguishable from one made from block meerschaum and it is very durable.

It is obvious that the precise structure of the kiln may be varied in many ways without appreciably multiplying the process itself. It is also obvious that the process itself may be somewhat varied as to the time and other conditions without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention.

Furthermore while the process is particuf larly adapted to pipes or articles constructed of pressed nieerschaum and has its greatest value in connection with such articles, it is in no way limited thereto forrits applicaf tion. In general it may be said that the invention is to be regarded as limited only by the scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim as my invention l. A process for the treatment of pressed meerschaum pipes which comprises subjecting them for a relatively long time to the' smoke and volatile products arising in thel production of charcoal and for a'relatively short time to a temperature high enough to drive ofi' the volatile constituents from the pressed meerschaum and deposit fine particles of carbon in the interstices thereof,

thereby binding together the componentk 3..A kiln for the treatment of articles which comprises a receptacle adapted to be filled with wood, a perforated container 'for the articles placed near the top of the kiln near the wood, and a screen overlying the top of the kiln and adapted to have straw and earth placed thereon. v

4. A kiln for the Vtreatment of articles which comprises a receptacle adapted to be filled with wood, `a Vperforated container for the articles placed near the top ofthe kiln v on the wood, a screen overlying the top of the kiln and adapted to have straw and earth placed thereon, and means at the bottom of the receptacle for the entrance of air.

5. A kiln for the treatment of articles which comprises a receptacle adapted to be filled with wood, a perforated container for theY articles placed near` the top of the kiln on the wood, a screen overlying the top of the kiln and adapted to have straw and earth placed thereon, means at the bottom for the entrance of air, and a vent at the top for the exit of smoke and volatile products.

In testimony whereof, I havel iereunto y r'subscribed my name.

JAMES BEc'KwrTn. 

